Realization
by Lovelylauren10
Summary: TxG It took her ten years to finally realize that he wasn't coming back to her. He had a wife now, one that he loved even more than life. She was part of his past and Gabriella was his future. Past TxK REWRITE!


_And no I'm not ashamed,  
But the guilt will kill you,  
If she don't first  
I'll never love you like her  
And that just hurts  
**-Just Friends, Amy Winehouse**_

He hadn't been home in about five years or so. The last time he had gone was to quickly announce to his parents that he was in love and getting married. That, surprisingly, had gone over quite well. They were so glad that he had finally settled down in his celebrity life. When he was younger, however, his mother told him that she was never going to give him away to another girl, until she met Gabriella.

Oh, how he love that girl…his mother loved her almost equal. Gabriella's life story was quite amazing enough for his mother. Gabriella's father had left her and her mother when she was 6, therefore she had to help her mother out and get her first job at age 15. By the time she was 18, she had 2 jobs and a full ride to Stanford. Although she was poor and had no friends,she graduated and became a doctor. She worked in a children's hospital as an oncologist, dealing with children with terminal cancer. She was so kind to them, which made the whole hospital staff and the patients fall in love with her. Then, at a charity visit the the hospital, he met her and realized that she was beautiful, humble and the most amazing woman he had ever met.

He dated her for six months, realizing that she was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He couldn't imagine life without her/ So he proposed after six months of dating and they were married a year later in a small church with only close friends and family attending. It was their dream wedding and they couldn't believe in their wildest dreams that they had found each other so early in life. Unsurprisingly, five years later, the couple is still happier than ever.

Now, his dad was retiring and they were honoring him at a football game. So, being a great son, he decided to go and cheer on his last days at East High. Gabriella had never set a foot in East High, since she grew up in California, and she was excited. She wanted to see where her husband grew up and where his basketball career started.

He glanced at her and laughed, noticing that there were only twenty seconds until half time. She is teasing him about the mascot being a wildcat and instead of screaming 'go team' she is growling and giggling. That's why he loved her, because she was so sweet and funny.

"Did you ever go to your high school football games?" He asked her randomly with ten seconds left on the clock. She frowned and shook her head left and right, squeezing his hand.

"Nope…I was always helping his mom, doing his homework or working. Let me guess, you were always that kid." She pointed to the teenage boy with a red painted body and a white 'W' on his chest.

"Guilty. You know, the girls thought it was hot for a guy to walk around topless with a letter on his chest." Gabriella just snuggled close with his old East High jacket draped over her shoulders.

"I love you." She was so cute, "…and not just because you were a human alphabet." he playfully rolled his eyes and kissed her lips until a throat was cleared and his mother returned to her seat.

"You guys kill me sometimes, your father was waving at you and you didn't even notice. People thought he was crazy." Gabriella glanced down and watched as her husband's eyes lit up as he waved at his father and gave him thumbs up.

Jack Bolton did great. Lucy cried and even Gabriella got a bit teary-eyed. It was a nice thing, there were a couple of people that talked and the named the gym after him. It was cool. Gabriella shoved her husband every once in a while for not being emotional enough but…he was just keeping it in. Troy gave his Dad a man-hug as he got back up and then sat for a few minutes chattering.

"Troy, go get me a hot dog." He heard his wife say with a chuckle, standing up. "I'm hungry and you need to feed me." He rolled his eyes at her and pulled her up,

"You are coming with me, lazy." Then his blue eyes glanced to his parents, asking if they wanted anything and then he had the order of a hot dog, 2 waters and some nachos. They climbed the metal steps slowly, him leading and smiling.

Then they ran into someone he had not expected to see.

"Kelsi?" He sputtered like an idiot, seeing as the girl was wearing a wildcat jacket with his name on it. It was almost identical to the one that Gabriella was wearing. It was worn out, leather and in bold red letters had 'Bolton' across the back. He hoped she hadn't noticed, until he looked over and saw his wife staring at the new girl.

"Troysie!" He was shocked at how much that nickname had changed in his mind. In high school it was so endearing, and now it was pretty annoying. He was 27 and 'Troysie' wasn't as cool. Gabriella would never call him something so obnoxious. And by the lookin her eyes, she was profiling the girl as an obsessive fan, rather than an old friend. "It's been too long."

Gabriella was silent. She didn't know what to think so she stayed mute and pretended that she was invisible. She didn't want to say the wrong thing so she just gave the girl a look-over. She watched her husband speak,

"Um…yeah? This is my wife Gabriella, Gabriella this is…um…Kelsi from high school." He said feeling awkward. Gabriella held out her hand to shake but Kelsi just glared her down. Troy noticed the tension and grabbed Gabriella's hand. He loved the feel of it and it was always so warm and soft. He saw Gabriella quickly drop her hand and stare at Kelsi.

"Married huh? Its funny how ten years ago, you told me that we'd get married someday." The married couple's eyes went big. One was nervous that his wife would leave him and the other was pissed that she had to find out the huge fact through an ex-girlfriend.

Gabriella's hand dropped quickly and her stomach began to churn. Sure, she knew that her husband had dated before her but she didn't know that he had promised marriage. His mouth was agape and he quickly recovered himself.

"We were kids then, you know, we had to grow up eventually." He tried to hide the fact that he was trying to grab Gabriella's hand and she had shoved it into the pockets of the jacket she was wearing. Her brown eyes were dark, almost looking as if they were black. Her hair blew in the wind. If she wasn't angry at him then he would have tucked it behind her ear, but now he was afraid to touch her.

"Yeah, I remember in your old tree house we had that plan. You know, when we would hope and pray. You said you'd be the famous basketball player and treat me like a princess and we'd get famous." He watched his wife become more and more anxious. She had her eyes focused downward and just felt herself go red in the face. She didn't know if she was angry or humiliated. He wanted to comfort her and kiss her but he didn't. He had to deal with his ex, before she successfully ruined his marriage.

"Well, I mean…um…" Kelsi ran her fingers down his arm like she used to in high school. Yet, instead of making him swoon, it made him want to leave this situation. He watched his wife scoot further away from him. It was as if she was afraid of his touch. She was ashamed to know him, let alone be married to him.

"Man, those were the good old days, huh? Remember when…" Gabriella blurted out quickly,

"We're married and I'm pregnant." **  
**

He was shocked, not knowing this news before she blurted it out. She had wanted to surprise him and his parents over the weekend but she had just ruined that. He grinned, knowing he was going to be a dad. She felt a weight off of her shoulders. His eyes were bright and he kept looking at her to make sure she hadn't blurted out a lie. He knew she hadn't and wanted to kiss her right there. But he didn't.

He had wanted kids his whole life. He had wanted to marry Kelsi and have kids with her, but now he was glad that he hadn't. Kelsi didn't have anything on Gabriella. He thought that nothing could be better than his first love, he couldn't find anyone more sophisticated and perfect until he met his true love. He didn't regret losing Kelsi, rather he thought of it as a blessing.

He was relieved when he felt the warmth of his wife's hand slide into his again. Obviously, in the brief thirty seconds after she had admitted to her pregnancy, she had gotten her ego back and the jealousy had flashed in her eyes. He was shocked, never seeing that new shade of brown. She had never said a negative thing in her lifetime. Until now.

"Wow…pregnant huh? You know Troy and I…" Gabriella stared at the girl and spoke quickly in a short and impatient tone,

"…broke up a long time ago. So, you guys stay here and talk while I go get some things for his family and I." She just walked through the crowd and he stared after her, making sure she got to the stand ok and when she did, he turned to look at his high school girlfriend. He didn't see the high school cheerleader. He didn't see his first love. All he saw were empty eyes and a girl that he hardly knew.

"It's been a long time. How is your life?"

"As good as I can be, considering that I've waited for you to take me back after all these years." He kept a straight face. She waited 10 years for him to come back? Why hadn't she heard he had gotten married. It had been all over the entertainment news and gossip sights. His parents had some pictures put in the local newspaper. She had to have been wishing that he and Gabriella would divorce.

He noticed that her nose, that had been unique and cute, had been shaped in a way to look like a celebrity's. Her thin lips looked like Angelina Jolie's. Although he wasn't looking, her chest had gotten bigger. She had changed dramatically and unnaturally. She had obviously gotten cheap plastic surgery as he noticed some scars around her nose. Even with all the beauty enhancements she couldn't even compare to Gabriella's beauty. Troy always noticed a girl's eyes before anything else. Gabriella's were always a gateway to her emotions, dark when she was sad or angry and bright when she was happy. Kelsi's eyes however weren't as sparkling green as they were ten years ago. Rather they were dull and emotionless. This was something that made him happy that his wife was opposite of his high school sweetheart.

"Well. I've been great, always moving forward into the future and such. Where are you working?" Small talk wasn't working as well as he wanted but he kept trying to be the nice guy. He felt awkward and kept glancing to make sure that Gabriella was ok. Something Kelsi noticed. He grinned at him, trying to show off his still charming smile and attitude. He was hiding that he felt sorry for her desperation and was hiding the fact that he wanted to ignore her and cuddle with his pregnant wife.

"Well, I'm not the classy model that I wanted to be." She added with a chuckle, reminding him of their days in high school. "Actually, there is nothing classy about me." He shook his head looking her over again. He realized something that shocked him. She was wearing a name tag under the jacket. Something she had forgotten to take off. It was a name tag to a local shell station.

She had used to be so smart. He thought that she would have a bright future. Now, she was pumping gas?

"Oh, it can't be that bad? You seem to be doing fine." Kelsi shook her head and mumbled,

"Do you remember that one time in high school when we were studying for health class and you started whispering to me about our future?" He closed his eyes and thought for a moment. He hardly remembered any of their moments, he just remembered her. And this time, she wasn't the angel he had imagined she would be.

"Honestly, no. Kelsi, it has been a really long time since I have seen you." Kelsi felt tears in her eyes. She always dreamed that he would come back and love her but now he loved another girl. Now he was married to someone that wasn't her. He thought that she would have moved on already. She used to be so unique and pretty and now she was just another face in a crowd. Why wasn't she as lucky as him?

"Well, you told me that you wanted us to be together forever. You called me Kels and had a cute country accent. Remember? You told me that you would propose to me on a beach and we'd be rich. You said you couldn't love anyone but me." He sighed,

"I was 18 then, I had my head so far up my behind that I didn't know what reality was." He was honest, not trying to lead her on. She didn't have him, nor would she ever have him again. She knew it and so did he. "Plus, you almost made me turn down a full ride to UCLA. That is what made my future. If I would have turned that down then I wouldn't have gotten the two most amazing things. I wouldn't have gotten my Lakers career and I wouldn't have gotten Gabriella." He covered his mouth quickly, practically saying that Gabriella was an upgrade. Kelsi's heart slowly began to crumble, seeing her dreams fall into another girl's hands. Tears were in her eyes as she said,

"Oh. I guess. I mean you're not Troy from high school." She was looking down this time, not wanting to become mesmerized by his ocean blue eyes. She wouldn't cry in front of him. She'd never give into his charm again.

"Yeah, I hope I'm better." The girl watched as the brunette approached with Nachos, three waters and a hotdog. To Kelsi, Gabriella was the luckiest girl in the world. Gabriella had her dream life. She hated this Gabriella girl. "Hey El." Gabriella handed him two of the waters and the Nachos quickly. She didn't want to drop them all over herself or her husband, but she not-so-secretly wanted to dump them on Kelsi.

"Sorry, I almost dropped them." She looked over and gave Kelsi a genuine smile. "Oh, hi." Gabriella wiped the cold dew from the water bottles on her jeans and straightened herself up. Kelsi frowned,

"El huh? Troy always did have those endearing nicknames. You know, hearing him call you something so loving made your stomach get butterflies." Gabriella shook her head in agreement. Her eyes were telling the girl to finish the conversation so she could go sit down and spend time with her in-laws and her husband. Gabriella's brown eyes were demanding alone time.

"Yeah." There was a few seconds of silence and they heard teeth chattering and shivering. Troy sighed, noticing that his old high school jacket wasn't warming up his wife. He knew that she wanted the blanket that was currently in the seats of the stands, "It's cold."

"Yeah, that blanket is looking even better by the second, isn't it?" Kelsi stared at them as if she was an outsider. She wasn't his wife. He wasn't going to keep her warm. He wasn't going to love her anymore. He noticed that his blue eyes lit up when he saw Gabriella. She knew Troy didn't want her anymore. She sighed,

"I think I'm going to head out anyway, I have to work tomorrow anyway. Not everyone is rich and famous, huh?" Gabriella rolled her eyes as the girl glared at her. She just shook her head and wanted to leave. Her eyes were practically green with envy and she was staring intently at her husband.

"Well, we all set our own futures," He shook his head, glad that she spoke up for him. She finished, "and we all work hard to get it." The male couldn't have said it better himself.

"Ah, the truths of reality.." He mumbled. "It was good talking to you and catching up."

"Yeah, see you later." He swore he heard his wife mumble something about 'see her never' but he just chuckled and headed down the steps toward his parents.

"You know, green isn't a very good color on you." He said finally after they sat down, making sure she had enough of the blanket before he worried about covering himself. He watched her take a bite of her hot dog and then offer it over for him to taste. She was trying to distract his attention from her emotions to the food.

"I don't know what you are talking about," he raised an eyebrow at her and she finished, "I am not jealous!" She added too quickly. He knew her all too well. She sat there with a smirk on her face, knowing she was caught.

"Well, don't be. I'm glad I met you. You are awesome." She chewed slowly and glanced up again, offering him another bite. She giggled once she took in his words.

"Awesome? Of all the adjectives you could use, you used awesome?" He chuckled and kissed her sweetly. Her eyes were bright again, as he was again reminded how she was 100 times more amazing than Kelsi. "You know, a kiss doesn't fix the wannabe-wife and the awesome-adjective." He whispered in her ear,

"Tonight will." She elbowed him and made sure that his parents hadn't heard his awful comment. Luckily, they were caught up in a conversation about plan's for Troy and Gabriella's last day in town tomorrow. The pregnant girl sighed in relief.

"You are horrible. You are lucky I love you." He kissed her again, holding her closer. She felt his hand rest on her stomach,

"I am lucky." She kissed him and ignored the rest of the stands and the world. "And no one could even compare to how much I love you."

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**I wasn't sure how to end it but I feel like it sucked. Be nice with your reviews because I haven't written in a while!**

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